Chapter 24

John followed the group of soldiers up the stairs as he mentally prepared himself as Gizmo pushed open the door to the outside world. John pushed passed him as he ran at full speed toward the group of men wearing masks. A man with a dragon mask stepped forward with a book floating beside him. In his hand formed an icy blue smoky mist of energy. The book opened as a construct of ice in the form of a dragon flew out of it. John looked up as the draconic construct flew down toward him. As he stared at the dragon something resonated with him on a deep level, 

He took a deep breath as his sense heightened while he ran faster.  John leaped into the air, landing on the head of the construct as he continued running in the direction of Shadow Wolf. Another figure stepped forward with a fox mask on her face. John noticed the fox aura floating around her body which made him realize she was a kitsune. She waved her hands in a strange motion as a light green flame appeared in front of her. The flame looked more transparent than normal flames as it came hurtling toward John before it turning into lightning bolts he barely avoided. 

It became clear that she was a lightning-based kitsune. She continued throwing her foxfire flames at John as he finally touched the ground again. He fired the energy blaster which struck her in the chest. She went crashing to the ground as he withdrew the flash-bang grenade. He closed his eyes as he tossed at them causing the group to separate. As John continued running, Gizmo appeared beside him with his suit. They ran together toward the enemies as they did their best to fight the group of supernatural beings. Shadow Wolf appeared in front of John and Gizmo with two people beside him.   

"Where's the girl?" The male figure that stood beside Shadow Wolf asked. John remained silent as he felt Gizmo's eyes on him. He had hoped to prevent Gizmo from knowing about Rena, but nothing ever turned out the way he wanted.  

"Dude, what is he talking about? What haven't you told me, John?" Gizmo asked as he grabbed John's shoulder.

John pushed his hand away as he aimed the energy blaster at Shadow Wolf. He felt the palm of his hands sweating as he gripped the trigger of the weapon.   

"Your hesitation will be your greatest downfall, John. How do you expect to win at anything if you're always hesitant? Why are you using a pathetic weapon like that when you have a power inside you?" Shadow Wolf questioned as he got closer to John. 

Gizmo pushed John aside as he attacked. Shadow Wolf moved effortlessly like a cloud of smoke that was untouchable. The other two masked figures stood by silently as Shadow Wolf toyed with Gizmo. John wasn't allowing himself to be tricked into a fight he couldn't win. He could tell Gizmo was becoming frustrated as he struggled to reach Shadow Wolf. Gizmo teleported to different areas around Shadow Wolf but still couldn't land a hit.                            

"Are you going to fight back or what?" Gizmo yelled as he managed to grab Shadow Wolf's cloak. 

He tried to land a hit, but his hand was grabbed swiftly. John barely noticed Shadow Wolf raise his hand to block the hit. Gizmo cried out in pain as his arm was twisted in an unnatural direction. 

"I have no interest in you Gizmo so stop before I kill you. You may be a brilliant young man, but it's often eclipsed by your arrogance!" Shadow Wolf said as he shoved Gizmo aside.

 He turned his attention back to face John, who still stood motionless with his weapon raised. John dropped the blaster on the ground as he took a deep breath. Shadow Wolf took off his cloak to reveal his tactical ninja suit. His katana was in a sheath that was attached to his belt.

"Why are you doing this?" John asked as Shadow Wolf started to unsheathe his katana.

Gizmo was on the ground crawling away from the fight as the female masked figure stepped in front of him. John realized he had to get Gizmo away from them immediately.                

"You will receive clarity when the time is right, John. Right now, I need to know about the girl. Where is she and has she awakened her abilities?" Shadow Wolf questioned as John sprinted over to Gizmo. 

Before he could reach him, Shadow Wolf appeared with his hand on his katana. All John saw was red realizing his blood filled the air causing him to look down to see a deep gash along his chest. John fell over on his side confused as to what happened. His senses didn't heighten or pick up on the movement of the katana. The inconsistency of his abilities always happened at the worst moments. When he needed his powers most, they always disappeared on him.     

"Focus weakling or I'll take over and kill everyone." A voice said in a terrifying tone. 

John wheezed in pain as he took deep breaths, struggling to focus on channeling his powers. He saw Shadow Wolf standing over him as if he was waiting.                        

"Until you have mastered most of your abilities, you must focus, or it won't help you. Your reluctance to use your power hinders you, boy." Shadow Wolf said as John wondered who the man was. 

Why did he seem so familiar, and what were his motives? John could tell Shadow Wolf didn't have the same plan as his comrades. There was something else he was after, but what was it? John grunted as he staggered to his feet while withdrawing his dagger. He didn't care about his powers right now because he wanted to win the fight with his skills.   

"I'm going to take that mask and beat you senseless with it." John said.

He lunged forward swinging the dagger. Shadow Wolf evaded as he gripped his sword once again. John managed to catch Shadow Wolf's hand before the katana could reach him. He stepped forward as he stabbed Shadow Wolf in the arm. John breathed heavily as he slashed Shadow wolf across the stomach. Shadow Wolf winced in pain as he stumbled backward. John pushed forward despite the fact he was in pain. He leaned in close to Shadow Wolf to land a right hook into his ribs. 

John continued to pummel Shadow Wolf as he continued stumbling back. He roared as he charged at Shadow Wolf prepared to take him down at all costs. Before he could get to him, another figure with a wolf appeared. A mahogany shade of energy spiraled around her, causing John to stop running. He felt a sharp pain in his head as he remembered the woman from when he was younger. 

She possessed the same type of energy as the woman before him now. He breathed heavily as he stared at her with a strange look on his eye. The energy spiraled around him, forcing the ground beneath him to break apart. John's skin began to peel off as a strange mist formed around his body. His skin burned as his wound began to heal. The energy propelled John into the air as he dropped the dagger. He was still breathing inhumanly as his mind began to spiral out of control. The woman from his past continued to cloud his mind filling him with rage. He started to wonder if the person behind the mask was in fact the same person, but her presence didn't feel the same.  

He crashed into the trees away from the fight, causing some of his limbs to get broken as he fell. He hit the ground causing more bones to break in his body. His wound slowly healed as he struggled to stand to his feet. As he looked around, he noticed that the trees around him were all dead and burned from the events that occurred months ago. Everything around John appeared to be dead or dried out. John looked down at his wounds that were taking longer to heal than usual. He walked with a limp as he tried to return the fight where he could explosions. A cloud of smoke was rising in the sky as he saw flames everywhere. 

People were crying out in pain as he heard gunshots. As he continued walking the wind began to change direction as this strange sensation surrounded John. In front of him, he saw the air being split open as electricity seeped out of a black hole.  What was this before him breaking the fabric of reality? John stumbled to the ground as a figure stepped out of the portal. It was a young woman dressed in unusual clothes. 

What she wore appeared to be made from animal skins and unfamiliar cloths. She had a bow and a pouch of arrows strapped to her back. Around her waist were two unusually shaped short swords. She had a faint violet smoky aura surrounding her and faint particles floated in the aura. John then noticed her eyes which reminded him of Bezad. The difference was that the woman had light blue colored eyes. Red magenta, wavy hair hung over her round, youthful face. Her brown skin was lighter than Bezad's which made John wonder if they were the same race. She had a soft and worried look in her eyes as she approached John. He stared at her confused as he crawled away from her.  

 "Are you, John?" She asked in an accent that reminded John of Bezadm. John stared at her confused before nodding his head slowly. She stood over him with a look in her eyes that roared fear.

"Who are you?" John asked, staring her confused as he wondered what she could want.

He knew Bezad had a sadistic personality and had wicked intentions. The woman before him didn't give him the same vibes. 

"My name is Fulgora, and I'm from the Dark World. I've been following these people for some time now." She said, looking over her shoulder as John noticed the electrical portal was still open. 

He assumed it led to the other world. A place he knew he couldn't imagine on his own and found drawn to it by an unnatural force.    

"How do you know my name and why are you going against Bezad?" John asked, confused as to what was happening at this moment. He didn't understand anything transpiring because it felt like a dream.  

"It is better to show you." She said, holding her hand out to John as electricity surrounded them. 

Reluctantly, he took hold of her hand as she pulled him up to his feet. She pulled him to the portal and stepped through it. He followed to see that everything around them was darker. He looked up to a see a sky that was extremely dark. The atmosphere was beyond cold, and he could see things on the ground were completely frozen. The dirt was a taupe color, and he could see small pieces of amethyst buried in rocks. 

Despite how cold the air felt, he didn't feel bothered by it as he followed her. He could see large mountains, trees, and bodies of water everywhere with his heightened vision. It was a dark place, but he found it more beautiful than frightening. Compared to John's world it was much bigger and seemed less crowded. The air felt breathable and unpopulated by thousands of chemicals. Flying high above the sky were large bird like creatures. They had a strange appearance to them as the glided across the sky.  

"Where are we going because I need to hurry back and help my friends?" John asked as Fulgora looked over her shoulders.

She didn't seem bothered as she continued walking further through the frozen land. John didn't know how she found him or why she brought him to this world.   

"If Bezad succeeds in his quest, then your friends will all be dead. Your purpose is in a prophecy he conjured up that leads to the liberation of the Dark Lord. Bezad believes that you will serve in the destruction of our worlds." Fulgora explained.

 John saw a village up ahead that was burning.  The flames that were consuming the village were purple and burned everything at a rapid rate.  

"He said they were looking for a stone and now they're looking for a girl. What do those things have to do with freeing this Dark Lord?" John asked as they approached the village to see that everyone there was dead. No one was left alive, which filled John with more rage as he looked at the horrendous sight. 

"To my knowledge, the Dark Lord is trapped in the Nether. It's a prison placed in a realm between life and death. If he finds the nether stone, he could liberate the Dark Lord. The girl may be used as a sacrifice in the ritual for an equal exchange." Fulgora said as she walked through the burning village. John saw a sad look on her eyes as she looked around frantically. It was clear to him that she wasn't bad like Bezad.

"Why don't you want the same thing? Don't you two work together?" John asked as Fulgora stopped to look at him. She looked serious as she shook her head.        

"I'm not a dark-dweller. which may be why I don't have his beliefs. He's one of the Disciples of Darkness, and I'm merely an outsider. Anyway, a pact between Edahs and dark-dwellers was broken, which will lead to war. Setting the Dark Lord free will only make things worse for my people and yours. All four races have been divided here because of the Dark Lord. Which means if he were to return, then there would only be strife. 

Bezad doesn't know that I overheard him discussing his plan with Titan." Fulgora answered she looked on the ground to see a dark substance. Despite how dark it was, John realized it was blood by smelling the air around it.                                  

"You got all this from snooping around which is impressive. Anyway, who the hell is Titan and what are the Disciples?" John asked, still walking as he sniffed the air to catch the scent of blood. He felt relieved that his powers were working again. Fulgora appeared beside him with a confused look on her face.    

"Titan is another Disciple who is as old as Bezad. They're the only ones that have been close to the Dark lord. Disciples are a group of chosen warriors that carry out the Dark Lord's will and protect the people." Fulgora said as she walked down a hill. John continued looking around as he followed the scent.

"How old are all of you?" John asked as Fulgora looked over her shoulder.                        

"Bezad has been around for at least three hundred cycles. I've only been around for twenty-two." She replied as she continued to follow John. He assumed that cycles meant years, and she was his age. What surprised him was Bezad's age because he only looked thirty.  

"I guess aging is something nonexistent in this world?" John questioned as he knelt down to examine another trail of blood. It was thicker than the one he saw in the village. 

"It all depends on when you fully awaken. Some people never awaken their abilities while some do it at an early age. There was once a Dark-dweller that looked like a child at five hundred cycles." She replied, causing John to look at her awkwardly. 

He found that to be strange as he continued walking until they reached a forest. The grass was dark purple shade while the tree leaves were indigo. The tree branches looked to be a charcoal gray color. The trees were giant compared to John as he looked up at them in awe. They ventured through the dark forest as John began to hear strange noises. He assumed they were the sounds of creatures that he'd never seen before. The trail of blood led him further into the forest as he began to run. John wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he knew he had to hurry.

He continued running until it felt as if he had been running for over an hour. He finally saw someone sprawled out on the ground with a wound in their side. Fulgora sprinted passed him to the young woman's aid as John looked around confused. 

They were out of the forest in an open field where he saw more bodies. The other bodies John saw were people with light blue skin and dark blue hair. The young woman before him had brown skin and reddish-brown hair. Her clothes were similar to Fulgora's but armor more like armor. John knelt down beside her to realize that she was still breathing.        

"The wound doesn't look life-threatening, but I assume this is what you wanted to show me." John said as Fulgora nodded her head slowly. He looked up to see another woman stumbling over to them. She had an ebony complexion and short light blue hair. Her eyes were light blue as well, which John found strange.   

"What happened to everyone Ascelin?" Fulgora asked as her comrade collapsed beside her. The woman looked at John with a confused look on her face. She was holding her side in pain as laid down on the ground. 

"We were ambushed by a fleet of dark-dwellers. Now that Darkwell has fallen they'll be searching for Aerilon. Who is this foreigner with you?" Ascelin asked as she stared at John. Her remark quickly annoyed him as he looked away. 

"This is John from the Demi-world, and he needed to know what's destined to become of his world. If the Dark Lord comes, then many of us will die, Ascelin." Fulgora said as Ascelin scoffed at her friend's statement as she looked away. John stood to his feet and backed away from them. He had enough and was ready to return to his own world to take down Shadow Wolf and his cult.  

"Your friend doesn't seem to want my help, and honestly, I don't know what you want me to do. If you don't mind, please send me home so I can help my friends." John said as Fulgora looked at him with a disappointed look on her face.

Reluctantly, she stood up as electricity formed in her hands. John watched walk away from him as she grabbed at the air in a pulling motion. The electricity spiraling around her hands began to tear open a scar in the air in front of her. The wind spiraled around her as her power surged uncontrollably. John was amazed as he walked over to her when the portal was created.   

"I hope at some point I can persuade the two of you to sit down and talk. We could help each other in the coming days." Fulgora said, sounding hopeful as she looked up at John. He noticed how short he was as he stared down at her before looking into the portal.            

"When that day comes, you know where to find me." John said as Fulgora nodded her head. 

He took a deep breath as he stepped away from her. The energy surging from the portal was strong as made his way to it. As he stepped inside, the electricity became a blinding light. The only thing on his mind was returning to where he left to help Gizmo before he got himself killed